Saturday, January 23, 2010

Diana Gabaldon's OUTLANDER VIII, The eighth volume in the bestselling family saga, to Nita Taublib at Delacorte Press, in a major deal, for publication in Fall 2013, by Russell Galen at Scovil Galen Ghosh Literary Agency (US).

Thanks to SusiQ at LOL for letting us know! The announcement was posted on the publishersmarketplace.com site. It's a pay site, and I don't have access myself, but the summary is available if you google "outlander viii 2013", if you want to see it for yourself.

So, Diana has been saying for months and months that ECHO is not the last book in the series. (With all the cliffhangers at the end? How could it possibly be the last book?) Now we have confirmation from the publisher that there will be a Book 8.

Note that it doesn't say that Book 8 is the last volume in the series, either. I suspect this is because Diana herself doesn't yet know if it's the last book or not! (As she's stated on Compuserve several times since ECHO came out.)

Fall 2013 seems like a long, long way away, but keep in mind what Diana said in her recent blog entry:

The books are invariably longer and more complex than I think they'll be, and _always_ take longer to finish than I think they will.

And this:

General observation is that in terms of actual research/writing/etc., it takes me _about_ two to two-and-a-half years to write one of the big novels of the main series. That's baseline.

That "baseline" figure doesn't include the time she spends traveling, making public appearances (such as the recently completed book-tour of the UK), and working on other projects.

So, it looks like Book 8 will follow the pattern of the more recent books, and be released about four years after ECHO.

4 comments:

Linda Kozak
said...

I realize there's so much story to her books but have you noticed that each book gets longer and longer? No wonder it takes 2 to 2-1/2 years to complete. Perhaps she could split them in two? Of course I realize as well that she writes in particular order so this would be hard to do. Four years is a long time to wait for the next - I guess I'll start at the beginning and reread for the third time. I always find something new each time around.

Post from starlaeasy. Yup, rereading is good and I have Outlander on request from the library on CD. It is a tad daunting to listen to a book in the time alloted but talk about losing ones self! Want to take a very long car trip (think across states) to just listen w/o interruptions . Waiting 4 years, talk about! I just turned 68 so it becomes even more of a cliffhanger, lol. Never in my life have I become involved with more compelling characters than Jamie & Claire, never. The pathos of their many adventures is gut-wrenching. Starlaeasy. p.s. am not sure which profile am supposed to select?

I think Diana should put the next Lord John book on hold until she's put a good dent into the writing of book 8. Those readers are her 'bread and butter'.It's not right to ask them to wait 3 more years. I liked Echo. The first quarter of the story was a bit slow for her writing style. The rest was awesome in pure DG style!

Anonymous - did you know that LORD JOHN AND THE SCOTTISH PRISONER will be told half from Jamie's point of view, half from Lord John's? I for one am looking forward to that very much. Keep in mind that Diana doesn't view the Lord John books as separate from the main OUTLANDER series. It's all one immense story, and everything interconnects. She won't quit writing about Lord John just because you want J&C's story faster.

Looking for OUTLANDER discussions? Check out TheLitForum.com!

My interview with Diana Gabaldon!

THE MAKING OF OUTLANDER: The Official Guide to Seasons 3 & 4

Season 4 Blu-ray/DVD is now available!

Trip to Scotland 2012

OUTLANDER book trailer!

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